Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VAR~ABLE-TYPE CABLE MANAGEMENT
AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OP THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to work space management and,
more spccifically, to a system for m~n~ging and directing variable types of CO~
5 cation cable and fiber optics in an opcn office environment that uses modular work
stations while providing central connection, distribution, testing, and verification.
The system provides a user with essentially invisible cn~nu~ tion cable
management whi]e m~in~ining cable accessibility and preserving the ability to move
and reassemble the modular components of the work space without the need for
10 recabling.
2. Description of l~elated Art
Most open office environments using a cubicle-type arrangement
employ what is known as "home-run" cabling whereby a co"~""u~ic~tion cable is
routed from a wiring hub or closet in a bundle with other co".~.lnication cables15 directly to a distant work station. The home-run cabling bundle is typically
maintained inside partition panel raceways or outside the panels along a floorboard.
Home-run cabling has the advantage of providing the most reliable forrn of
networking because it possesses the fewest "potential points of failure. " A potential
point of failurc is any point in the network communication cabling where a break or
20 connection occurs in a circuit. However, the difficulties in home-run cabling are
readily apparent once one considers the ramifications of moving a distant cubicle or
connected communication device. The distance between a wiring hub or closet and
the final connection point may be as much as 100 meters. This 100 meters of cable
is typically routed behind equipment, under carpet, or in walls to keep it hidden and
25 out of the way. Rerouting a cable from one location to another results in signifir~nt
disruption of the of~lce environment as a cable is pulled through a labyrinth ofcorners and turns to be rerouted through a different maze. If the co.n...~ tion
cabling bundle is concealed inside a partition panel, moving the cubicle--as would be
required during a of~lce reorE~ni7~tion--requires clic~ccembling the partition panel,
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removing the communication cable, moving the panels, rein~t~lling the con,.".l"ica-
tion cable in thc panel, reassembling the panels, retesting the cable system, and
reconnecting the cable to its recipient device. Such a system has the effect of
anchoring each cubicle in place or face a major recabling project. Moreover, if
5 another cable needs to be added to a work station, a line must be fed through the
entire home-run path to the recipient device at significant expense of time and cost.
Another disadvantage of existing co"~ unication cable management
systems for use in an open ofrlce environment is the lack of a universal raceway to
cooperate with difrerent partition panels. Existing raceways must either be redesigned
10 to fit onto different partition panels or different raceways must be continuously
designed. Furthermore, existing raceways lack an efficient and accessible means to
route communication cables from the raceway to the end device. Another limitation
of existing communication cable raceways is an adequate means to route copper
communication cable while additionally providing a raceway compatible with the
15 special requirements of fiber optic communication cable. These and other problems
of the prior art have been solved by the present invention.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improvement in comml-nic~tion
cable management and distribution systems in a modular partitioned work place. The
20 system utilizes a cable raceway which is designed to be mountable to most major
partition panel configurations currently used in of~lce design, and is designed to
accommodate the special requirements of fiber optic cable management as well as
other more comrnon types of office comm~mic~tion cables. The raceway mounts atopthe partition panels and provides convenient acce~!iibility while conre~ling and25 protecting the communication cables. The system is sensitive to the special
limitations of fiber optic cable by elimin~ting abrupt changes in the direction of the
communication cable. The raceway comprises a cable channel which mounts to the
top of most major partition panel configurations and a cable channel cap which
mounts on the cable chaMel in various positions to accommodate the different
30 partition panel configurations. The raceway is used to direct connection cables, or
"jumper" cables, from a central distribution module to each work station requiring
a communication cable connection. Routing conduits or "vertical cable managers,"are used to rou~e the jumper cables from the raceway to the area where the
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communication cable is to be connected. The vertical cable managers are secured to
the face of the partition panels and extend from the raceway to below a desk, table,
cabinet, or other ofrlce furniture to m~int~in invisible cable management.
The communication cable management system employs a multi-user
S communication cable interface module located near the design~te~l work station to
provide a central communication link to the cluster of work stations. By positioning
a central communication link near each cluster of work stations and comm--nicating
to each work station through this central link, the problems associated with traditional
home-run cabling are avoided.
The system provides the advantage of preserving the connections from
a cable closet/hub to the communication cable interface module during a
reorganization, and greatly reduces the effort to add another cable connection to an
existing work station. To wit, if a user anticipates that future co,l"nullication cable
connections will be required, several additional utility cables can be connPcted to the
15 cable communication module when the initial inct~ tion occurs. When the additional
communication cable is then required, an appro~liate jumper cable is connPcted to the
multi-user communic~tion cable interface module and routed into the raceway by
simply removing the cable channel cap and guiding the jumper cable to its intenrle(l
work station. If a vertical cable manager is in place, it is simply removed, the20 jumper cable is then inserted, and the vertical cable manager is replaced to position
the jumper cable end to its intended device. If a vertical cable manager is not
present, the user needs only to remove a break from the cable channel cap, thereby
creating a path into which a vertical cable manager is inserted and, as before, the
connection is made below the user working plane be~w~en the jumper cable and the25 intended device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DI~AWINGS
The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed
to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present
invention, both as to its org~ni7:~ion and manner of operation, together with further
30 objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following
description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical work space in which the
elements of the cablc management system are shown;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the cross-section of the cable
35 channel and cap for a first panel partition top;
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Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the cross-section of the cable
channel and cap for a second panel partition top;
Figure 4 is a side elevation view of the cross-section of the cable
channel and cap for a third panel partition top, and;
Figure 5 is a pels~ec~i~e view of the vertical cable manager and
cooperating raceway attached to a typical partition panel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in
the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by
the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, willremain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the
present invention have been defined herein specifically for variable-type cable
management and distribution systems.
The system generally shown at 10 of the present invention will be best
understood by reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows several typical work
stations 12 which are formed by modular partition panels 16 which are l-Pcç~cllily
shorter than the height of the ceiling, and an abutting desktop 20. It will be
understood that although the work station 12 embodied in Figure 1 shows one typeof work station, there are many commercial embodiments of desks, panels, countertops, cabinets, and the like which are used to form a work station 12, and the
particular configuration or number of each component is not critical to this invention.
The system of the present invention is useful with all such configurations, and is not
to be construed as being solely limited to any single type of work station
configuration. Thus, the work station 12 in Figure 1 should be considered to be
merely an example and not limiting for the present invention.
The communication cable interface module 14 conlp~ises a housing unit
22 enclosing a patch panel 24. The housing unit 22 is adapted to be mounted in avariety of configurations, depending on the needs and arrangement of the particular
office environment. For example, the housing unit 22 could mount to a wall whichis centrally located to the work stations to be serviced by the commllnic~tion cables.
Alternately, the housing unit 22 could be mounted to the ceiling, the floor, atop a
partition panel 16 (as shown in Figure 1), or in any practical location. The patch
panel 24 may be of the type such as a Holocomm System SD2000 modular passive
patch panel, manufactured by Pleion Corporation of Santa Ana, California, or any
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other such patch panel which can couple ~lber optic, coaxial, and copper cable
simultaneously using multiple-type coupling jacks. The SD2000 provides a fiber optic
and copper based patching system which can accommodate standard copper, tele-
phone, fiber optic, and coaxial connectors. The number and type of each connector,
5 generally shown at 18, are interchangeable to accommodate "mixed eyuipl,.e.l~"offices, and different patch panels can accommodate additional cable connections.
The communication feeder cables 26 enter the co~ ic~ion module
housing unit 22 at the receiving end 28 and connect to the connectors 18 on the patch
panel 24. Connectors may be RJ11, RJ12, or RJ45, coaxial and flber optic ST, FC,10 or SC compatible connectors, depending on the user's needs and preferences. Jumper
cables 32 connect to the patch panel 24 at the connectors 18 occupied by the
communication feeder cables 26 and exit through the commllnic~tion module housing
22 at the departing end 30. In one preferred embodiment, the commllnic~tion cable
housing unit 22 is directly adjacent to the raceway 34. The raceway 34 is con~rised
15 of a series of connected cable channel sections shown generally as 36, and associated
cable channel caps 38. The cable channel sections 36 are made of sturdy alllmin--m
or lightweight metal and are adapted to mount to most partition panel upper surfaces.
As shown in Figures 2-4, the cross-section of the cable channel is one of an elongated
flat plate having integral walls extending therefrom in the vertical direction, the walls
20 extending a short distance before exten-ling lateMlly outward and then extending
vertically again. The shape of the cable channel 36 permits the cable channel tomount directly onto three of the most popular partition panel upper surface
configurations, as shown in Figures 2-4. This feature elimin~tes the need for
individual cable channel shapes for most of the current partition panels in use. It
25 should be noted that the channel walls may be continuous as shown in Figure 1, or
they may be segmented to save material.
The cable channel 36 is mounted to a partition panel 16 along its upper
surface 40 using commercially practical means such as fac~eners 21. The length of
the cable channel 36 is less than the length of the partition panel 16, which are of
30 standard lengths, to allow for the gradual change in direction warranted in the use of
fiber optic cabling. Each channel section can be joined with or without a splicer
section 25, and channel sections may also be curved to accommodate cubicles having
rounded walls. Recause a fiber optic cable cannot sustain its signal through an abrupt
change in direction, all connections in the system, from the patch panel to the
35 communication cable receiving device, must account for this limitation. When a fiber
optic jumper cable is required to change directions perpen~ic~ rly, the tli~t~nce
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between the end of the cable channel and the end of the partition panel permits the
jumper cable 32 to gradually curve around the change in direction, thereby preserving
the fiber optic signal.
The cable channel cap 38 is provided for covering the cable channel
5 36 and for protecting and conce~ling the jumper cables 32 therein. The cable ch~nn~l
cap 38 cooperates with the cable channel 36 by fitting over the channel such that the
sides of the cable channel cap 38 press against the outer walls of the cable channel
36 to secure the cable channel cap 38 thereon. The cable channel cap 38 is
approximately the same length as the cable channel and will typically completelyenclose the cable channel 36 and abut the top 40 of the partition panel 16 (see
Figures 2-4).
The cable channel cap 38 comprises snap-out plates 46 to create an exit
44 from said raceway 34 for the jumper cable 32. In one embodiment of the present
invention, each cable channel cap 38 has four snap-out plates 46, shown generally in
15 Figure S, to allow the user to create jumper cable exits 44 where needed along the
raceway 34. The snap-out plates 46 would typically be located along each side of the
cable channel 36 at opposite ends. The snap-out plates 46 are further located tocoincide with slots or recesses 23 in the cable channel 36 to create an exit 44 for the
jumper cables 16. The cable channel cap 38 is generally made of a sturdy but
20 lightweight metal such as alllmin-lm which can be m~rllinf~ to form grooved teeth 50
on the interior side surfaces 48. The grooved teeth 50 permit the cable channel cap
38 to secure to the cable channel 36 at different positions (see Figures 2-4). The
addition of grooved teeth S0 to the cable channel cap 38 creates a universal capadaptable to different partition panels 16. This is accomplished because the grooved
25 teeth S0 engage the sides of the cable channel at variable heights to allow different-
sized panel widths to be mated with the cable channel cap 38 (see Figures 2-4).
The jumper cable 32 exits the raceway 34 and enters a vertical cable
manger 54 which is secured along the face 56 of a partition panel 16 by a clamp
mecllanism 72. The vertical cable manager 54 is comprised of a upper shroud
30 member 58 and an elongated semitube 60 which are connected to each other to
maintain a enclosed pathway for the jumper cable 32. The upper shroud member 58
is a formed elbow which has a first end 66 which is inserted into the jumper cable
exit 44 in the raceway 34 formed by the removal of the cable channel cap snap-out
plates 46. The upper shroud member 58 has a raised band 29 which fits into the
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jumper cable exit 44 to secure the shroud member 58 in the jumper cable exit 44, but
numerous means of removably securing the shroud member into the jumper cable exit
can be envisioned which provide for easy access to the jumper cable.
The vertical cable manager further comprises a sernitube 60 connPcte~
to the upper shroud member 58 at the outlet end 68. Ret~ining bumps 27 on the
upper shroud member 58 secure the upper shroud member to the semih1be 60. The
semitube receives the jumper cable 32 and encloses the jumper cable 32 between the
interior of the semitube 60 and the abutting partition panel face 56. The jumper cable
32 exits the raceway 34 through a jumper cable exit 44, enters the upper shroud
member 58, and then enters the semitube's entrance 62 and exits out the opposite end
64. The semitube 60 will preferably extend below a user working plane such as a
desk or table so that no cables are visible. In a preferred embodiment, a take-up
spool 70 is placed below the user working plane to collect any slack of the jumper
cable 32 once the jumper cable exits the semitube 60. The take-up spool 70 must
conform to the requirements for Category 5 copper and fiber optic cables to m~int~in
performance standards. This is achieved by using a spool 70 with the proper
diameter to fulfill thiff requirement. The jumper cable 32 then connects to its
designated end device (not shown).
In another preferred embodiment, the semitube 60 is conlplised of two
members, a smaller U-shaped member 76 fitted inside a larger U-shaped member 74.The smaller U-shaped member 76 slides within the larger U-shaped member 74,
thereby extending the length or "telescopes" the vertical cable manager 54. The
telescoping of the two U-shaped members allows a single vertical cable manager 54
to accommodate variably sized partition panels 16 and user work space heights
without the need for multiple-sized vertical cable managers.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and
modifications of the just-described preferred embo(lim~n~s can be configured without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood
that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other
than as specifically described herein.
